Antioxidant activity of essential oils from condiment plants and their effect on lactic cultures and pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

Studies about preservative and antioxidant activity of essential oils have been encouraged in recent years, given their importance to food industry. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activity of essential oils deriving from Syzygium aromaticum, Cymbopogon citratus and Lippia alba against lactic and pathogenic bacteria responsible for food-borne diseases. Essential oil antibacterial activity was assessed through disc diffusion and macrodilution tests conducted in a mixed lactic culture of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (YF-L903) and of Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Salmonella enterica (ATCC 6017) strains. Based on the chromatographic analysis results, the essential oils shown to be composed of eugenol (79.41%) which was the prevalent compound in S. aromaticum, geranial (31.89%), neral (24.52%) and β-myrcene (25.37%) in C. citratus, as well as of geranial (33.80%) and neral (25.63%) in L. alba. The observed antibacterial activity confirmed the dose-dependent effect of these three oils on all the assessed bacteria; there was halo inhibition at concentration 20μL mL-1. The essential oil of S. aromaticum presented better antioxidant activity, with IC50 equal to 5.76μg mL-1 and antioxidant activity index of 6.94, and it was considered strong (AAI>2.0) in comparison to the other evaluated oils. This essential oil also presented excellent antioxidant activity at concentrations lower than the one required to inhibit lactic cultures. Based in this outcome, the essential oil from S. aromaticum can be used as preservative agent in processed food whose formulation presents lactic cultures.

Nanoemulsion production techniques upgrade bioactivity potential of nanoemulsified essential oils on Acipenser stellatus filet preserving

“…Parallel to our research, other scientific teams revealed that the essential oils, such as cumin's applied to fillet samples to prolong their shelf life, are effectiveness via inhibiting pathogen growth and raising the antioxidant activity. [39][40][41] Iacobellis and coworkers were reported the antibacterial activity of Cuminum L. . [42] It has lethal effects on either gram-negative or gram-positive bacteria.…”

“…Other studies have revealed similar effects that the usefulness of essential oils such as cumin in increasing the life of fillet samples was through increasing the antioxidant activity. [39][40][41] In rosemary extraction, the other compounds found are rosmarinic acid and hydroxy hydrocaffeic acid, showing some complementary antioxidant activity. The extraction of rosemary also has other caffeic acid derivatives.…”

Bioactive Natural Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from Spice Plants: New Findings and Potential Applications

“…These components have been indicated as an interesting source for the development and discovery of new bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical and cosmetic application due to their anti-inflammatory [ 47 ], antibacterial [ 48 ], antifungal [ 49 , 50 ], repellent [ 51 , 52 ], antioxidant [ 53 , 54 , 55 ], and neuroprotective [ 56 ] properties, as well as cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines [ 57 , 58 ]. In addition, EOs and their constituents have been investigated as an alternative additive in the food industry [ 44 , 59 ] in contrast to synthetic antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxytoluene, butylated hydroxyanisole, and propyl gallate, that have exhibited undesired effects to human health [ 60 , 61 ]. Natural compounds from plant EOs which have shown biological activities with potential pharmaceutical applications include ( E )-cinnamaldehyde (antifungal activity, Figure 1 panel A) [ 62 ]; menthol and L-menthol (analgesic activity, panels B and C) [ 63 ]; cuminaldehyde (anticancer activity, panel D) [ 64 ]; eucalyptol and eugenol (anti-inflammatory activity, panels E and F) [ 65 , 66 , 67 ]; and thymol, carvacrol, and methyl chavicol (antioxidant activities, panels G, H, and I) [ 68 , 69 ].…”

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) Essential Oil: Extraction, Composition, Bioactivity and Uses for Food Preservation – a Review

“…Another chemical compound which is often present in the lemongrass essential oil is myrcene. Its percentage content greatly varies and ranges from 0.8% in the essential oil obtained in Egypt [Mansour et al, 2015] to 25% in oils obtained in Brazil [Farias et al, 2019] and Nigeria [Kasali et al, 2001]. Such great differences in myrcene content in the essential oil are strictly connected with the geographical region of the world (Table 2).…”

“…It was also found effective in preserving processed foods like cheese [Cui et al, 2016]. A recent report has indicated that lemongrass essential oil may in uence lactic cultures in dairy products [Farias et al, 2019], which may curb its applicability in this sector of food industry. The application of C. citratus essential oil in food preservation was comprehensively reviewed by Ekpenyong & Akpan [2017].…”